Skate



(No Model.)

s. 0. GA'ULTI.

I SKATE. No. 255,161.

Patented Mar. 21,1882.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL O. GAULT, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

SKATE.

SPECIFIC ATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,161, dated March21, 1882.

Application filed August 22, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be' it known that I, SAMUEL C. GAULT, acitizen of the United States, residing at Giucinnati, Hamilton county,Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Skates; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsand the letters or figures of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to improvements in the construction of skates.

The object, purpose, and scope of my invention will appear in thefollowing description and claims.

My device is illustrated as follows in the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, the foot-plate being shown by dottedlines. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on theline av 00 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a horizontal section on the line 1 y in Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 showdetails of construction. Fig. 6 shows variousforms which may be given tothe bearing-edge of the runners.

The parts are as follows:

A is the foot-plate. B B are the posts by which the runners are attachedto the footplate. I) D are clips, riveted to the runners, by which theconnection is made with the posts B B by means of the pin 1), passingthrough the hole I, in the post. 0 O are blocks of'india-rubberinterposed between the posts and the clips. E E and E E are the runners.

It will be seen thatthe runners of my skate are like those of abob-sledviz., two pairs of short runners, one under the heel and theother under the ball of the foot. These runners are connected with thefoot-plate by a double joint or universal joint, which, however, islimited in its movement. The hole I), through which the pin 1) passes,is flaring, so as to give a. horizontal movement to the pin, thevertical movement of the joint being upon the pin b as a pivot. Thevertical movement is limited by the elasticity of the rubber block 0.

It will be seen by Figs. 1 and 5 that the vertical and horizontalmovements of the joint .-are not strictly so, but are within a plane atan angle to the plane of the runners. The result of this construction isthat a pressure from the foot of the skater which is not positively ver-(No model.)

tical will depress the rubber block 0 at one side and in a line at anangle to the plane of the runner, and hence in a direction to movethejoint horizontally also, and thus turn the points of the runnersinanother or oblique direction. The result of this is that the skater canby a change of direction of his weight guide himself over the ice.

I will here remark that the same construction may be applied to acoasting-sled,'and the occupant by swaying his body can guide the sled.

I have provided the following means for regulating the elasticity of therubber blocks: Plates 0 0 rest upon the top of the rubber, andset-screws c c, passing through the lateral arms of the post, bear uponthe plates. The necessary or desirable degree of tension is effected bythe movementof these screws. In place of the rubber C, any other form ofspring which may be found sufficient may be used.

What I claim as new is- 1. Ina skate, the combination, with thefootplateA, of a pair of double runners, E E and E E, connected to said plate bya universaljoint connection which has its vertical movement limited byan interposed spring, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a skate, the combination, with the footplate A, of a pair ofdouble runners connected to said plate by auniversaljoint, which has itsvertical and horizontal movements in planes inclined to the plane ofsaid runners and has its vertical movement limited by an interposedspring, substantially as shown.

3. In a skate, ajointfor connecting the runners to the foot-plate,consisting ot'the clip D, with pin 1), post B, with flared opening I),rubber block 0, plates 0 c, and set-screws c c, substantially as shown.

4. A skate having a pairof runners, one under the heel and the otherunder the ball of the foot, and each composed of two blades lyingparallel with each other.

In testimony that I claim-the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this9th day of July, 1881.

SAMUEL O. GAULTP Witnesses:

J N0.-K. HALLOCK, R0131. H. PORTER.

